The present invention relates to a method and an automatic apparatus for supplying cassette loading machines with magnetic tape reels, of the type comprising at least a support hub mounted on a front wall of a cassette loading machine, designed to operatively engage a magnetic tape reel at a coupling opening exhibited by the reel itself and operable in rotation according to a horizontal axis in order to cause the unwinding of the magnetic tape from the reel.
The described apparatus has been particularly studied so as to be associated with a loading machine provided with several loading modules operating independently of one another and adapted for loading individual cassettes with magnetic tapes coming from respective reels each associated with one of the modules. However the apparatus in question can also be used in less advanced loading machines e.g. provided with a single loading station. Prior Art
It is known that there are automatic machines adapted to carry out the loading of the magnetic tape into cassettes by engaging each cassette individually in a loading station where a predetermined amount of magnetic tape is wound into the cassette. The magnetic tape is continuously fed from a removable reel fitted on a support hub mounted to a front wall of the loading machine and operable in rotation, according to a horizontal axis, in timed relationship with one or more motors causing the winding of the tape into the cassette.
Said machines perform their functions in a satisfactory manner but they have some drawbacks originating from the fact that, at the present state of the art, each time the reel carried by the hub becomes out of tape the manual intervention of an operator is needed in order to execute the replacement of the empty reel with a new loaded (full) reel. Although this operation seems to be of easy accomplishment the replacement of the reels on the support hub is always time-consuming for the operator.
Under this situation, many difficulties are encountered in order to comply with the requirement of entrusting a single operator with the control and management of several loading machines.
In the light of the foregoing discussion it appears clear that it would be convenient to provide said loading machines with apparatus capable of carrying out the replacement of the out of tape reels with new filled reels in an automatic manner.
It is also pointed out that the same Applicant has recently developed a loading machine provided with a number of loading modules each provided with a respective loading station in which the loading of cassettes with magnetic tape coming from a respective reel is carried out. Such a machine has been the object of the Patent Applications filed on the same date in the name of the same Applicant including U.S. application Ser. No. 07/585,395, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,587, entitled Tape Loading Center which is incorporated herein by reference.
Therefore it will be recognized that the high productivity of this new cassette loading machine provided with several loading modules would run the risk of being impaired if the replacement of the reels on the support hubs should be carried out completely by hand.